The matchup: Posada is the heart and soul of the Yankees. In addition to being one of their best hitters with runners in scoring position (.287 regular season), he deftly handles the pitching staff and plays with fire and emotion rarely expressed by his teammates. But Rodriguez is having the postseason of a lifetime. The NLCS MVP is hitting .333 with three homers and 16 RBI in 11 playoff games. And defensively, the 10-time Gold Glove winner is in another world.

The matchup: Johnson will play first base in games at Yankee Stadium, and Giambi will take over when the series shifts to the NL ballpark. Johnson gives the Yankees a boost on defense, and he may be their most patient hitter. Lee can do it all. He's hitting .208 this postseason, but he's patient at the plate (88 walks), hits for power and plays Gold Glove-caliber defense.

The pick: Marlins

***

Second base

Yankees: Alfonso Soriano (.290, 38 HR, 91 RBI, 35 SB)

Marlins: Luis Castillo (.314, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 21 SB)

The matchup: Castillo plays above-average defense and provides the Marlins with a second leadoff hitter out of the No. 2 spot. He battles at the plate, as witnessed by his eighth-inning walk vs. Mark Prior in Game 6 that helped spark the Marlins to victory. But he's not a good base stealer (21-for-40) and lacks any pop (31 extra-base hits in 595 at-bats). Soriano has struggled in the postseason throughout his career, hitting .225 (29-129 update) with three homers and 16 RBI in 31 update games. He seems to try too hard, often swinging at pitches out of the strike zone, especially fastballs high and tight or breaking balls low and away. His defense is always suspect, with poor range and an erratic arm. Despite all that, the 25-year-old still has enough lightning in his bat and legs to win a game nearly by himself.

The pick: Yankees

***

Shortstop

Yankees: Derek Jeter (.324, 10 HR, 52 RBI)

Marlins: Alex Gonzalez (.256, 18 HR, 77 RBI)

The matchup: Sorry, Reggie, but there's a new Mr. October, and it's Jeter. His teams are 15-3 in postseason series and he's hit .313 (113-361 update) with 13 homers and 31 RBI. His lacks range on defense, even more than ever after separating his shoulder on opening day, but Jeter makes plays and may be the smartest player on the field. Gonzalez can do it all on defense, but he doesn't have the big-game experience and has been slumping in October, hitting .100 (4-for-40).

The pick: Yankees

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Third base

Yankees: Aaron Boone (.267, 24 HR, 96 RBI, 23 SB)

Marlins: Mike Lowell (.276, 32 HR, 105 RBI)

The matchup: Maybe a return to some familiar pitching will help Boone, who is hitting .241 (53-220 update) with six homers and 32 RBI in 64 games since being traded after nearly seven seasons in Cincinnati. He's been especially fighting it in the playoffs, but with his solid defense and the deep Yankees lineup, he's been able to get by. Lowell, who missed nearly all of September with a broken hand, appears to have his timing back after 26 postseason plate appearances. If that's the case, the Marlins offense will be in for quite a boost. Meanwhile, he's sure to provide stellar defense

The matchup: Matsui has done everything well for the Yankees this season, and that has extended into the playloffs, where he is hitting .278 (10-for-36 update) with one homer and seven RBI. And don't expect the rookie from Japan to be awed by his first World Series. He's like Jordan — sans the bald head — over there. Conine is having a big offseason (.385, 1 HR, 5 RBI) and crushed Yankee pitching before getting traded from Baltimore, hitting .394 with a one homer and five RBI. His production and knowledge of the opposition should be of great help to the Marlins.

The pick: Yankees

***

Center field

Yankees: Bernie Williams (.263, 15 HR, 64 RBI)

Marlins: Juan Pierre (.305, 1 HR, 41 RBI, 65 SB)

The matchup: Bernie is just not Bernie. He's become a singles hitter this postseason, batting .250 (9-36 update) with just three doubles. And his defense has gone from average to bad after midseason knee surgery took away another step or two. Pierre doesn't have the pop of Soriano in the leadoff spot, but he's disruptive with his tenacious approach at the plate and killer speed on the bases. He also uses that speed well in the field, although the Yankees can run on his arm.

The matchup: The Yankees have been rotating several guys in right. Garcia was good against right-handed pitching this season (.291, 10 HR, 32 RBI) and should start against Josh Beckett and Brad Penny or Carl Pavano. Rivera should go against lefties Dontrelle Willis and Mark Redman. He isn't as dangerous on offense, but he's the only one in the team's 72-person right-field platoon who bats right and can play defense. The 20-year-old Cabrera has looked like the best player in the playoffs at times. He's hitting .318 with three homers and nine RBI, and has done despite shifting from third base to left field to right field. He could shift to left in games with the DH, allowing Juan Encarnacion to get in the lineup.

The matchup: Giambi's season of ups and downs has him down in the playoffs, hitting .216 (4-21 update) with one homer and three RBI. He always has the potential to wreck a game with a homer, and perhaps his first World Series will get him going. But a achy left knee, which has bothered him most of the season, won't get any better when he is forced to play the field in game at Pro Player Stadium. Conine will probably DH in games at Yankee Stadium, making way for Encarnacion in the lineup. He was one of the Marlins' most productive hitters during the season, but has slumped in the playoffs (.185, 2 HR, 2 RBI).

The pick: Yankees

***

Starting pitching

Yankees: Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, David Wells

Marlins: Josh Beckett, Brad Penny, Mark Redman, Dontrelle Willis

The matchup: If the Marlins' pitchers weren't awed by the Cubs' Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, try this: The Florida foursome has combined to win 108 games in their careers, while the Yankees' rotation has 858 victories. Pettitte, Clemens update and Wells have pitched well throughout the playoffs, and although Mussina is 0-3, he has been a victim of some bad defense and poor run support. For the Marlins, Beckett has been superb, while the other three have been shaky. Carl Pavano, who started Game 6 of the NLCS, could also the ball at some point.

The matchup: The Yankees bullpen nearly cost them the ALCS with a Game 6 meltdown. It basically comes down the whether the starters go seven innings, thus shortening or eliminating the bridge to Mariano Rivera. The key figures in the Marlins bullpen — Urbina, Fox and Pavano — have been reliable. The Marlins will also run into trouble if the starters need help in the fifth or sixth innings.